SARS-CoV-2 Infection (COVID-19) Revealed by Persistent Hiccups: A Case Report

Authors

Abdelilah Tebay, Private pulmonologist, Tetouan, MoroccoFollow
Oussama Lakhdar, Internal Doctor, Gastroenterology Department, Tangier University Hospital Center, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco
Nouha Tebay, Médecin interne, service de néphrologie et de transplantation rénale, hôpital Cheikh Zayed, université internationale Abulcassis de science et de santé, Rabat, Maroc

Abstract

Hiccups are a ventilatory mechanism involuntarily involving the inspiratory muscles and the glottis, Its physiological interest has not been demonstrated until today. Acute or chronic hiccups have a wide variety of etiologies. We report the case of a 50-year-old patient with a history of iterative sinusitis, who consulted a gastroenterologist for persistent hiccups. The patient's clinical examination was normal. Chest x-ray showing an abnormal mediastinal image leads to a chest CT scan showing a typical picture of COVID-19 virus infection: bilateral and peripheral frosted glass opacities. A nasal swab RT-PCR test confirmed the diagnosis. Admitted to an isolation unit, the patient received treatment with clinical and biological monitoring. The hiccups disappeared around the 3rd day of hospitalization, the negotiation of the RT-PCR occurred after 14 days with a favorable evolution of the symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the 2nd global case of persistent hiccups that have revealed infection with the COVID-19 virus.

Recommended Citation

Tebay, Abdelilah; Lakhdar, Oussama; and Tebay, Nouha (2020) "SARS-CoV-2 Infection (COVID-19) Revealed by Persistent Hiccups: A Case Report," Health Sciences: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 11.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.15342/hs.2020.355

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